Gary Ferguson

washingtonpost.com
Friday, April 18, 2003; Page WE06
SALLY LOVE AND GARY FERGUSON "Our Old Home" Eureka JUNIOR BARBER AND GARY FERGUSON "Stuff That Works" Gunny Sack Music
The new releases by veteran bluegrass singer-songwriter and guitarist, Gary Ferguson suffer from a common problem. Averaging 40 minutes each, they don't last nearly long enough. But the pleasures they offer linger, partly because Ferguson chooses songs with the same care that he composes them, and partly because both discs are the products of inspired collaborations.
"Our Old Home," featuring vocalist Sally Love, is one of those musical matches that appear both natural and remarkable at the same time. The duo's voices consistently compliment each other in unfussy, soulful ways, and the songs they've chosen to record together, both original and familiar tunes, consistently underscore their compatibility. The songs borrowed and blue include Hank Williams's "Alone and Forsaken," which boasts some stirring harmonies; Ryan Adams's "In My Time of Need," a melancholy ballad graced by Love's tender soprano; and "Caleb Meyer," a country noir tale penned by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Ferguson's contributions help sustain the impressive song quality, and the music is further enhanced by a well-matched cast of players, including guitarist-mandolinist Emory Lester, banjoist Mike Munford and bassist Ronnie Simpkins.
"Stuff That Works" finds Ferguson teamed up with Junior Barber, who plays a variety of slide guitars -- dobro, Hawaiian lap and the homemade variety -- with blues-tinged eloquence. It seems only fitting that the album should open with its title track, Guy Clark and Rodney Crowell's celebration of the simple and sturdy things in life, since what follows is a collection of tunes that have stood the test of time, including a shimmering instrumental reprise of the Kitty Wells charmer "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" and Ferguson's elegiac coda, "Last Day at Gettysburg."
- Mike Joyce

Junior Barber and Gary Ferguson Stuff That Works - Brief Article -Sound Recording Review Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, Winter, 2004, by John Lupton
Gunny Sack 001
For the past two decades, Gettysburg native Gary Ferguson has been one of the best known songwriters in the bluegrass world, with his songs being recorded by high-profile artists. Ferguson sings his own stuff pretty well, too, having led his own band for much of that time and teaming up over the last few years with Sally Love to form one of the more effective male-female vocal combinations in any branch of folk music. After playing with the Gibson Brothers for several years, upstate New York's resophonic master Junior Barber has been touring with Ferguson and Love. With that background, it might be presumed that Stuff That Works would be another one of those "side" projects where a few well-known guests are invited in as a backup bluegrass band for Ferguson and Barber, but the pleasant surprise here is that it's just the two of them throughout, playing a variety of fine and vintage acoustic and resophonic guitars. And, true to the title song, it all really does work well. As a vocalist, Ferguson is a little bit more on the "folky" side of things, and he's wonderful on not only his own songs, but on old standards, as well. His take on "Choices," a big hit for George Jones a few years back, is choice as well. Barber is primarily known as a Dobro player, but he does his most interesting work here on Hawaiian lap guitar. It may seem like Jerry Douglas gets all the attention these days when it comes to things with slides and resonators, and Junior Barber is one of those highly accomplished artists who doesn't get the recognition he should. With any luck, Stuff That Works will help rectify that. It's not bluegrass, but it is really, really good acoustic music.--JL
COPYRIGHT 2004 Sing Out Corporation in association with The Gale Group and LookSmart.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group


- John Lupton